Retired opener Matthew Hayden has called James Anderson a "B-Grade bowler
who got his arse-whipped by Australia that many times it's not even funny"
following claims that the England seamer attacked an "arrogant"
Michael Clarke with a batsman's pad during the 2006/07 Ashes series.

Up against it: James Anderson featured in England's dispiriting six-wicket deafeat at AdelaidePhoto: GETTY IMAGES

Writing in his recent autobiography, Anderson revealed that Aussie batsman Damien Martyn had urged him to attack Clarke when both sets of players had enjoyed a drink together following the Adelaide Test.

"So I picked this pad up and cuffed Clarke with it, making the biggest thud imaginable in the process," recalled Anderson, clearly incensed by the Australian captain's "whistling away to himself" dressing-room manner.

Anderson also wrote how Martyn then went on to clash with Hayden later that evening, before surprisingly announcing his retirement two days later.

"This has been a big incident, hasn't it," Hayden told Triple M Sydney's The Rush Hour, clearly having lost none of his sledging bravura. "In reality, James Anderson was a B-grade bowler who got his arse-whipped by Australia that many times it's not even funny.

"Frankly I don't care what he has to say but at least he has improved his bowling, thank goodness."

Hayden, who played 103 Tests, added that the inner sanctum of Australia's dressing room was "something sacred to us", especially with a few experienced players coming to the end of their careers.

"In fact on that night I was ropeable [angered]," he said. "Frankly we’d been hammered over in England so I wasn’t pulling my punches, nor was anyone else in that particular series - you were either on board with Australia wanting to hand them the absolute whipping that they got, or you weren’t.

"My casting memories were sitting on the floor with two great mates in Justin Langer and Glenn McGrath, thinking this could be our last series with two games to go.

"So I was wanting to absorb every little bit with those blokes. Forget Jimmy Anderson."